1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wireless data communication, and more particularly to a method and a mobile communication system for transmitting/receiving multimedia messages using a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In line with the worldwide popularization of mobile communication services, such mobile communication services currently extend their service provision range from a voice service to a data service. The data service started as a service of providing simple information through a short message, and, recently, a data service for transmitting a multimedia message containing a large quantity of text information, still and animated images, and music files has been provided.
In a mobile communication system, multimedia message services are generally provided through an LME (Long Message Entity), which is a server for temporarily storing data, an LMSC (Long Message Service Center), which is a system for message transmission, and a general SMSC (Short Message Service Center). The transmission of multimedia messages is performed so that a multimedia message is generated by a transmitting mobile communication terminal, transmitted to the LMSC through a wireless network, and then stored in the LME. The LMSC notifies a receiving mobile communication terminal of the receipt of the multimedia message, and the receiving terminal receives the multimedia message by accessing the LMSC through a wireless network.
The transmitting mobile communication terminal generates a multimedia message by producing one message, as illustrated in FIG. 2, that incorporates various data types in the binary form such as text data (a character), sound data (a voice), and image data (a photograph or picture). Thereafter, as needed, the LME converts the multimedia message to a form suitable for the model of the receiving terminal, and stores it. The receiving mobile communication terminal is notified of the receipt of the multimedia message, and, as requested, the received multimedia message is transmitted to the receiving terminal. The receiving terminal displays the received multimedia message by decoding it pursuant to a predetermined standard.
As described above, the multimedia message is encoded in the form of a single message as illustrated in FIG. 2, and then stored in the LME. Thus, the receiving terminal receives all data types contained in the multimedia message even though a user may require only one of the data types, e.g. text data. For the same reason, when the user is charged for data types contained in the multimedia message, the user will incur unnecessary charges. Further, in consideration of a relatively large size of the multimedia message, receiving and decoding all the data types in the message for confirmation of the message results in an inconvenience to the user, and increase in battery consumption.